Destiny
by ziva2012
Summary: Time separated them, but love brought them back together. She was his destiny.
1. Chapter 1

"Destiny"

Prologue

The little girl waited in line patiently, watching as, one after the other, the boys and girls ahead of her went to sit on Santa's knee. Each child was allowed just a couple of minutes, while they told Santa Claus what they wanted for Christmas, and a photographer took their photo. Then they were given a candy cane and hustled back to the adult who was waiting for them. Most of them had been accompanied by both their parents. But a few, like this little girl, had been brought to the department store by her baby sitter.

The child had been thinking over what she would say to Santa for several days, and when it was finally her turn, she walked forward bravely, ready with her request.

"Ho, ho, ho! Hello little girl! What's your name?" Santa asked in a mock booming voice. He was trying his best to sound jolly, but right now he was feeling anything but. Two hundred kids in eight hours, with only thirty minutes off to pee and catch a bite to eat, had taken the jollies right out of him!

"My name is Samantha Jeanne Carter, Sir," she replied with an air of formality, sounding much older than her six years.

"And what can Santa get you for Christmas this year, Samantha?"

"It's not for me really. I'm asking for my best friend, Mary Beth. She's sick and she couldn't come to see you," she said, plucking nervously at a button on her coat.

"Oh? Okay, then what can I get your friend?" He was amazed by the unselfishness of this child. Why wasn't she asking for tons of toys like the other kids?

"She wants her father to come home for Christmas," she said simply.

"Eh...her father?" He'd been asked for a lot of things today, but this one certainly took the cake!

"Yes, Sir. He's in the Air Force, and she hasn't seen him in over a year."

"Well...eh...I'll see what I can do," he said, feeling like the worst sort of liar. "But what about you? Isn't there anything I can get YOU, honey?" he asked wrinkling his brow. Surely there had to be something she wanted for herself...something that she might actually get from her parents or someone else, so that she wouldn't think Santa was a fraud.

"There IS something..." she began cautiously.

"And what is that?" he asked curiously.

"A baby sister," she replied. Santa exhaled, puffing out his cheeks. He was very glad all the kids weren't as tough to please as this one. He figured she was going to be very disappointed in Santa this year.

"You don't ask for anything simple, do you?" he asked, smiling down at her sweet face.

"No, Sir. I can only see you this once, so I have to make this time count, Sir," she stated, showing wisdom beyond her years. The man in the Santa Claus suit chuckled in earnest. He had never seen such intelligence in such a young child before, but then he really wasn't used to being around kids all that much either. This was his first time playing Santa, and right now he was wishing he'd never taken the job.

"Well, I don't know if Santa can grant your wishes, Samantha, but he'll try his best," he assured her. The photographer told them to hold still, the photo was snapped, and then Santa handed the blonde haired cherub a candy cane.

"Thank you, Santa," she said politely.

"You're welcome, honey." Then he helped her down off his knee, watching as she walked over to the middle-aged, dark-haired woman.

Within seconds she was replaced by another child, a boy this time, and he was eager to tell Santa all about the BB gun that he wanted.

CHAPTER ONE

As she looked around the lab space that she'd been given, she didn't know whether to hate the fact that she was General Jacob Carter's daughter or be thankful for it. True, she was well-qualified for the job, but she also knew that there were men out there who were just as qualified...men who had worked on the alien machine called the stargate. In fact several had worked right beside her at Area 51. Like Rodney McKay for one. She also knew that there were very few women assigned to the SGC...four percent of the total to be exact.

So most likely she had been given this assignment because of who she was and who she knew, not just because of WHAT she knew. And after her questionable welcome by Colonel O'Neill and his men that morning in the briefing room, she realized she'd have to try really hard to prove that she had earned the assignment, particularly the spot on SG-1. With her heart set on proving her worth, she endeavored to do just that.

On her first trip through the gate she thought she handled herself very well, and the colonel certainly didn't seem to have any complaints. Three weeks later, after one particularly trying mission, she actually earned a smile and a compliment from the colonel. She had been in her lab after the debriefing when he had come to speak to her.

"Hey, Carter!" he greeted her, as he swept his eyes around the room. Then he picked up an ink pen and began to twirl it in his long, slender fingers. He hated places like this, but it was obvious that Carter was in hog heaven here. She even spent her days off in the place. Lab stuff, scientific crap, it all seemed so cold and sterile to him. Give him a forest, a stream and a fishing pole any old day! There was no way he'd ever spend his weekends in a place like this!

"Colonel?" This was an unexpected surprise!

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" he asked with a friendly smile.

"No, Sir! Is there something I can do for you?"

"No, Carter. I just wanted you to know that I really like your style. ...when it comes to negotiations, I mean. You really seem to know what to say and how to say it." Negotiating was one of his weaknesses, and he knew it. So it was a real boon to the team to have someone like Carter. And even though at first he'd has his reservations about her, now he was glad she had been assigned to SG-1.

"Thank you, Sir!" Coming from a man who, she had been told, rarely expressed his approval of anyone in words, that he had done so in her case meant a lot to her. She'd been discussing the colonel's personality with the base CMO, Dr. Janet Fraiser, and Janet had been very informative where the colonel was concerned.

"I think you're working out just fine, Carter. I just hope you don't mind the guys teasing you a bit. They're that way with newbies. Always have been."

Actually, Kawalsky and Ferretti had been teasing her mercilessly. Jack had told them to cut it out, but as usual they hadn't listened. He might just have to beat the crap out of them soon, if all else failed, because there was no way he was going to allow those two clowns to mess up a good thing. He wanted this woman on his team, and they had better not do anything to make her ask for a transfer!

"You three go back a long time, don't you?" she asked, hoping she wasn't being too personal. After all, it wasn't as if he tried to hide the fact that the three were old friends.

"Yah, about twenty-five years or so. They're really good guys, Carter. They just need to get to know you a little better."

"I understand, Sir. It's not a problem, really!" It wasn't a problem YET, and she hoped it wouldn't become one. She really liked the colonel, and she wanted to stay on his team. She knew he disliked scientists, because he had admitted as much the first day they'd met. But since then he had made a real effort to see her point of view and to listen to her opinions.

Colonel O'Neill was fair and he was a really good soldier, and she could already feel his trust bolstering her confidence. She also felt that Kawalsky and Ferretti were good soldiers, and she could see why the colonel wanted them on his team. Now if only they would start treating her like one of the guys, instead of like Air Force Barbie!

"Good! Okay then," he said awkwardly, and then he turned and walked out of her lab.

And thus began Jack's habit of coming unannounced to Carter's lab.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

AN: To those of you who have taken time to review my stories lately, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I will continue posting the stories from my archives such as this one, while I pursue my writing career. To find out what I've been doing lately, please go to my websites: mariecaron .com or stargateforever .com. Thanks! ziva aka Marie Caron

Sometimes he had an obvious reason for coming to see her. But as the months went by, Jack's reasons for visiting Sam's lab each day...at least each day they weren't on some off-world mission...became a point of speculation and debate between Sam and her friend Janet.

"I am telling you, Sam, the man is smitten with you," Janet insisted. "Isn't it obvious? He can't stay away from you. That's why he makes some excuse to come and see you every day."

"Janet, don't be ridiculous! Colonel O'Neill hasn't gotten where he is today by having inappropriate feelings for the women under his command," Sam insisted, lowering her voice as she leaned toward her friend. This week the colonel had come to see her every day. And since they were Earth bound while the accountants did an audit, she figured he'd be in to see her every day for the next week as well.

She and Janet were sharing a table in the commissary just as they did every day when Sam wasn't away. And on this particular day the colonel, Kawalsky and Ferretti had strolled in, and after filling their trays, the men had taken a table just a few feet away.

As they sat down, each man looked over and nodded at the two women, and then Ferretti asked a question under his breath that made Jack glad he was sitting down.

"Can you imagine being the first?"

"Knock it off, before I knock it off for ya. Personally, I think you're full of shit anyway," Jack told him. Just then his 2iC chose to add more fuel to the fire that was burning between Jack's legs.

"But Jack, I'm tellin ya, Siler said he knows it for a fact," Kawalsky said, his voice loud enough for Janet and Sam to hear.

This really wasn't a conversation they should be having here. Hell, they shouldn't be having this conversation anywhere! He had already ignored his better judgment the day that he had told Hammond that Carter should stay on his team. And now here he was, gossiping about her with these two morons, who seemed intent on getting him worked up, regardless of the consequences.

"And just how would Siler know?" Jack asked, keeping his voice down.

"Sparky's girlfriend is a nurse. She works at an OB-GYN office in the city. Carter is one of her patients," Kawalsky whispered loud enough for all three men to hear. "Come on, Jack, you know you want to. And I'm bettin she wouldn't say no."

"Charlie's right, Jack; the girl obviously has the hots for you," Ferretti said, pouring gasoline on the fire.

Jack felt a tingling shudder run through his body. It settled in his testicles, swirling and building there until Jack thought he'd blow right there. Thanks to these two, he knew that he'd have to sit there until the indecent craving he was feeling went away.

Damn these two for figuring him out! Why couldn't they be as clueless as Sam obviously was? My God, could it be that she really was as innocent as they claimed?

Please forgive me if I kill these two, Lord, Jack pleaded silently, as he sipped his coffee and watched his men eat their lunches. He had lost his appetite for food. But where Sam was concerned, he was damned near starving!

The three men sat there talking about the local hockey team as they ate. Or at least Ferretti and Kawalsky ate; Jack just sipped his coffee. And before his men were finished eating, Jack got up and left, dumping his tray full of food into the garbage.

"Did you see that?" Janet hissed at Sam.

"What?" Sam asked innocently.

"The colonel! He didn't eat a bite. He just sat there glowering at Ferretti and Kawalsky. Sam, something's going on," Janet insisted.

"So what if there is? You don't think I should get involved, do you?" Even though she doubted that what Janet had said about the colonel liking her that way was true, she still didn't think it was her place to get involved in a dispute between the colonel and his men. It might look like she was trying to cause trouble, and that was something that Sam Carter would never do.

"I think you should find out what they were saying about you," Janet hissed.

"About ME! Why do you think it was about me?" she asked, her big blue eyes staring at Janet's brown ones.

"It's obvious! Jeez, Sam, where did you grow up, on the dark side of the moon?" When Janet saw Sam's frown, she apologized. "Sorry, honey, I keep forgetting what a sheltered life you've lived. Just forget it. If the colonel wants you to know what's going on, I'm sure he'll tell you," she said as she patted Sam's hand.

The colonel didn't come to her lab that day, nor the next, but two days later he showed up in the doorway, carrying a fishing pole. It was nine in the morning and Sam was busy running some simulations on a new gate security program that she'd been working on.

"Ta-dah!" he said, holding the pole up for her to see.

"What's that, Colonel?"

"My new Knight Rider Fisherman's Pro," he pronounced proudly. "Ferretti and Kawalsky and me are going fly fishing," he told her. And then before he knew what he was saying, the words just spilled out of his mouth. "Why don't you come with us, Carter? It'll be fun!"

"I don't know how to fly fish, Sir," Sam admitted. That much was true, but she also didn't think going on a fishing trip with three men, especially her teammates, would be a very appropriate thing for her to do. What on earth could he be thinking?

"I'll teach you. It's easy, Carter. Now come on, wouldn't you love to get out of this place for a few days? Out in the fresh air and sunshine?" Now that he'd asked her, he really hoped she'd go. You're a horny old bastard with only one thing on your mind, Jack O'Neill, he told himself.

Sam didn't know what to say. She was missing their off-world adventures, and she would love to get outside in the fresh air, but going fishing with her teammates just wasn't a wise thing to do. Surely he could see that? She was torn. She hated to question his judgment, but she simply had to be honest with him.

"I don't think it would be appropriate for me to go with you, Sir." She immediately saw the change in his posture and facial expression, and it made her feel badly that she was disappointing him. Would he think she didn't want to be one of the guys? Was that what this was about?

"It won't be just me. The guys will be there. It'll be just like going on a mission, only without the curious natives and those bothersome Goa'uld. Come on, Carter, you know you want to," he said, giving her a devilish grin.

He hated to be responsible for hurting his feelings, and that was why Sam Carter agreed to do something she felt was very foolish.

"Alright, but you've got to give me a couple of hours to finish this test."

"No problemo! I'll pick you up at your place in exactly…three hours from now," he said, looking at his watch. And then he was gone.

Sam puffed out her cheeks, expelling the breath she'd been holding. She thought she had probably just agreed to do the stupidest thing she'd ever done in her entire life. She just hoped that she didn't have to pay for it with her career.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Before leaving the base, Sam stopped by the infirmary to tell Janet where she was going. The minute the words were out of her mouth, Janet grabbed her arm and pulled her into her office.

"Sam, you little minx, you! Why don't I ever get asked to go away for the weekend with three guys?" she asked rhetorically.

"Janet, I'm not going away for the weekend with three guys! That sounds like I'm going to an orgy or something. We're just going fishing," Sam insisted.

"Yes, Dorothy, and those three are just looking for the Wizard. Sam, wise up! Men don't take women fishing. It just isn't done!"

"What are you saying, Jan?" Sam asked, her blue eyes big and round.

"Honey, unless I miss my guess, one or all three of those guys are gonna try to get into your pants."

"Janet, you can't be serious?!" Sam had never heard of anything so preposterous. Ferretti and Kawalsky teased her a lot, but they'd never do anything like what Janet was suggesting.

"Sam, just listen to me; those three have seen and done things that you can't even begin to imagine. I'm not saying they'd force you or anything like that, but they're very experienced when it comes to women."

"I can handle myself," Sam stated with confidence she didn't feel. She just refused to believe that the colonel would let anything bad happen to her.

"I know what you're thinking. But the colonel will protect his men, if it comes down to choosing between you and them. And don't forget what I told you; Jack has the hots for you. So it may not be Kawalsky or Ferretti that you have to watch out for!"

"Janet, I can't believe you'd say such a thing about Colonel O'Neill!" Sam stomped out of Janet's office, thinking her friend was just jealous.

~!~!~!~

By noon Sam was packed and ready to go fishing with her team. Well, at least part of her was ready. The other part was yelling at her to stay home.

Don't be foolish, Sam! The colonel won't think any less of you, if you refuse to go, she told herself. But she couldn't get his face out of her mind. When she'd told him she didn't think she should go, he had looked so disappointed. So what was she to do? For some reason, hurting his feelings just wasn't something she could face, and so here she was, waiting at the curb as his big black truck pulled to a stop.

"You're a peach, Carter!" He hated women who were late, not that he thought she would be late. No way! Carter was dependable, which was more than he could say for his two friends.

Jack got out and picked up her duffle bag and backpack, throwing them into the back with the tent, ice chest and other stuff, while Sam climbed into the cab. She couldn't help but notice that the seat in the crew compartment was empty.

"Eh...Sir, where are Kawalsky and Ferretti?" she asked. She knew that the guys all lived on the same side of town, so she wondered why he hadn't picked them up first.

"They're running late. They'll be driving up together."

"Oh. Okay." She hoped she didn't sound as uneasy as she felt. Sam buckled her seat belt and tried to get comfortable.

Before leaving town they drove through a Burger King and bought lunch, which they ate on the way. She and the colonel talked about this and that while they ate, and soon she began to feel much more comfortable in his company. After all, she reasoned, they weren't doing anything wrong; they were just going fishing.

Two hours and fifteen minutes later they pulled into the campground and began setting up camp. Sam prepared the fire pit, while Jack cleared a spot for the big tent. Jack had brought along an 8 x 10 foot tent which they could all share. The arrangement was fine with her, since she was used to sharing a tent with the guys. Normally, when they were on missions, they carried two two-man tents, one in Jack's pack and the other in Kawalski's pack. And they rotated who slept with who, depending on who was on watch. So the only thing different this time was that they'd all be sleeping in the same tent.

At least the campground had a luxury that most of the planets they visited did not have; it had toilets! Sam knew she'd be thankful for those, especially since she was having her period. Thank God her flow was light and lasted only a couple of days, otherwise being on an all male team could have been awkward. Sam couldn't imagine women in her mother's day serving on an otherwise male team. In fact she often wondered what her mother would think if she knew the things that Sam did in the name of scientific research. Would she be astonished, understanding, horrified? Would she be proud of her only daughter? Sam liked to think she would be.

An hour later they had the camp all set up, and Jack was crouching down by the fire, checking to see if the water in the old coffee pot had come to a boil yet. He had offered to make her a cup of tea, and since it was chilly out and she thought a hot drink might warm her up, she had accepted. She watched as he put a tea bag in one cup and a teaspoonful of instant coffee in another.

Sam was wondering why the other two men hadn't arrived yet. She decided to ask, but in a round-about way, so as not to sound overly worried or suspicious.

"So what now, Sir? When do we fish?"

"We fish early in the morning, Carter. At daybreak. You'll need to get up at five, so I suggest you get to bed early," he said, not looking at her. Jack was worried. If those two jerks didn't get here tonight, and he was forced to spend the night alone with Carter, there was going to be hell to pay!

"And Kawalsky and Ferretti? When will they be getting here?" she asked as she rooted around in her pack, trying to act indifferent.

"I'm not sure. They should'a been here by now," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"I said they should have been here by now, damn it!" he yelled. Seeing her cringe, he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Carter. I didn't mean to bite your head off. I'm just worried about them is all. They may have had an accident," he added, although he doubted it. More than likely, his two so-called friends had played a prank on him.

He knew it was just like them to have set this all up, just to get him alone with Carter. The two had been teasing him for weeks about her. And even though he had denied being interested in her that way, they had seen through him. And now here he was, alone with her in an otherwise empty, secluded campground...the one that Kawalsky had recommended, saying it would be a quiet, private place for them to catch their limit. Clearly his friend had fed him a line.

As the minutes passed, and then an hour and then two, and his two friends didn't show, Jack was even more certain that the location had been suggested for quite another reason. It did involve privacy, but fishing had nothing to do with it.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

Sam had been shocked when he yelled at her. After all, it wasn't her fault the guys were late. Then she began thinking about what Janet had said. What if this had all been a hoax, arranged just to get her alone? What if the colonel wanted to 'get into her pants,' as Jan had put it? She knew she shouldn't let him, but there was a big part of her that wanted to know what it was like to be with a man.

He'd probably be disappointed. He wouldn't want her, if he knew. He'd probably figure there was something wrong with her. After all, how many women were still virgins at the age of twenty-nine? He'd probably laugh in her face, if he found out.

"Carter? Carter, here's your tea," he said. He thought she looked upset, and he could have kicked himself for yelling at her. It wasn't like him to fly off the handle so easily. Oh sure, he had a temper, but he was usually able to control it. He was usually able to control most of his emotions, particularly the ones that involved him wanting a woman that he couldn't have. But right now, as he contemplated spending the night alone with Carter, his self-control seemed to have flown the coop.

At about nine o'clock Sam was just coming back from the toilet, when she saw the colonel carrying his sleeping bag toward the fire. When he saw her, he began to explain, while Sam just stood there staring at him.

"It's a nice night. I think I'll sleep out here under the stars," he said. Sam looked up and found that she couldn't see any stars. There were clouds overhead, and a mist was rolling into the clearing.

"Eh...Sir, I think it might rain tonight. Are you sure you don't want to sleep in the tent?"

"No, damn it! Are you deaf? I said I want to sleep out here!" Jack threw his sleeping bag down and charged off into the darkness.

Sam flushed, feeling the sting of his words just as though he'd struck her. She sat there for a few minutes, wondering if she should go after him. Sam had never seen him so angry before, and she wondered what she had done to deserve his wrath. Hoping that he'd be in a better mood in the morning, Sam decided to go to bed. After tossing and turning for quite a while, she finally managed to fall asleep.

She didn't know what time it was when the sound of rolling thunder woke her up. She laid in her sleeping bag all warm and cozy, listening to the loud booming until another sound made her sit up. It was raining. At first she could hear the large drops hitting the roof of the tent intermittently, pitter pat, pitter pat. But then suddenly the thunder boomed and the rain began coming down hard, and Sam decided to see if the colonel was okay.

She was at the door of the tent, having just unzipped the flap, when a very wet Jack came barreling through the opening. Sam barely got out of the way in time to avoid getting knocked down. She stood there in her black sports bra and panties watching as he shook himself like a big dog.

"Thanks! Boy, it's really coming down out there!" Sam quickly went to the propane lantern and lit it. Next she grabbed her towel and handed it to him. He took it and stood to one side, bending over at the waist as he used it to dry his hair. Then he began unbuttoning his shirt which was plastered to his chest.

Feeling cold and more than a little overwhelmed, Sam climbed back into her sleeping bag and lay there wondering what was going to happen next. He was soaked to the skin, and now he didn't have a dry sleeping bag. Plus the storm had dropped the temperature quite a few degrees. The colonel would get sick, if he didn't have some way to get warm. He sneezed, and Sam knew there was only one option.

"Sir, you're freezing. Take your clothes off and get in here with me," she said. Knowing it was the only sensible thing to do, she turned around and faced away from him, leaving the other side of the bag unzipped.

Jack was flabbergasted. He knew that doing what she asked would be like pouring gasoline on a lit fire. And yet what other option did he have? He had been stupid and foolish, and now he had no other place to sleep or any other way to get warm. Sure, he could sit in the truck with the engine running and the heater turned on, but how long would it be before it ran out of gas or ran the battery down? Besides, they needed what gasoline they had left to get back to town.

No, there was only one answer to his problem, and he knew it. And so he stripped off his wet shirts, jeans and boxers and spread them out on the floor of the tent, before turning off the lantern. Then he climbed into Carter's sleeping bag and zipped it shut. Rolling toward her, he settled on his side with one arm laying gently across her waist and the other bent under his head.

Sam closed her eyes and tried to relax, but the weight of his arm wouldn't allow her to forget exactly where she was and who she was with. And soon she began to feel a soft pressure against her butt. At first she wasn't sure what she was feeling. But then gradually the softness turned hard, and even as inexperienced as she was, she knew what was happening; the colonel was getting turned on!

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Now Sam was really getting nervous. What if he wanted to have sex with her? Sam chastised herself mentally for wondering how she'd tell him she was having her period, rather than wondering if she should report him. God, what was she becoming? Only wanton women asked their COs to climb into a sleeping bag with them! Only wanton women agreed to go fishing with three men in the first place!

Trying to move away from him, Sam scooted her hips forward. But just as she did, a large cold hand clapped down on her belly and pulled her back to where she had been.

"No, Carter. Don't move. I'm freezing," he said through gritted teeth. But the part of him that was touching her ass felt anything but cold. And now that he had one hand on her belly, he pulled her in even closer, while his other arm slid under her at the waist. Sam held very still when she felt his hand come to rest under her cotton-covered breast. It just cupped the underside, but then his thumb swept up and over the nipple, causing Sam to gasp.

Jack knew he was playing with fire, but he couldn't help himself. She felt so good in his arms, and the scent of her shampoo was filling his head with all sorts of wicked thoughts. He could take her from behind, and then he wouldn't have to look at her hurt face as her CO took advantage of her. Or maybe she wouldn't mind if her CO broke every rule in the book? Maybe she had been down this road before? After all, look how far she'd gotten in a military that still promoted men over women.

"Sorry. You're just so soft, and you smell so good," Jack crooned next to her ear. And then he kissed the side of her neck, just under her right ear, while his thumb swept over her nipple...once, twice, three times. This time Sam cried out...a high-pitched whimper which drove Jack crazy with desire. His hand boldly cupped her breast, squeezing the fabric of the bra and the nipple between his two middle fingers, while his other hand slipped down into her panties.

Sam's hand shot to his, her intention being to stop him somehow. But he was too fast for her and too aggressive, and Sam only managed to follow his hand down between her thighs, where his fingers delved between her folds.

"No!" she exclaimed, "I'm having my period!"

"Not a problem. It's good lubrication," he breathed against her neck. Then she felt his knee lifting her outer thigh, and his fingers tugging on the string to her tampon. In a flash he had removed it and flung it away.

"But, Sir, I'm not..." She wanted to say she wasn't clean, experienced, ready to do this, and several other things that were swirling around in her head right now, but again Jack was too quick for her. And before she knew what was happening, she felt something huge being shoved into her vagina. Sam's body reacted to protect her from the intrusion, her muscles clamping down on the invader. She tried to bring her thighs together, but Jack's leg between hers prevented her from doing so.

"Noooo!" she cried out, as she felt his cock slip deeper into her untried channel. It hurt a lot, and Sam didn't think she could stand it much longer. With both hands on his, she tried to pull them off, while pulling her hips forward in an effort to get away.

"God, you're so tight," he grunted as he pulled her back against his body again, both his hands trying to hold her in place. Then he thrust in hard, until his balls were smashed against her ass. He held still for a few seconds and took several deep breaths.

"Jeezus!" he cried, "you're gonna kill me!" he hissed as he felt her tender warm flesh surrounding him. Then he began pulling out and thrusting back inside. Soon he noticed a change in her. He no longer had to hold her still, nor did he want to. She was moving her hips back and forth with his thrusts, and she was obviously enjoying herself. Jack put his back into it, thrusting harder and faster, as he began to feel a familiar burning in his balls. He was on fire now for certain, and soon he'd be coming inside the sweetest body he'd ever fucked.

He had been with a lot of women before, but never one like Carter. She gripped his cock so hard, that he thought the top of his head was going to shoot off. How could she be so tight? Then suddenly something occurred to him, and he stopped thrusting into her.

"Carter, tell me you're not a virgin," he said angrily.

"I'm not now, Sir," she said in what to Jack sounded like a happy voice. Jack felt his heart thud to a stop.

"Oh, Jeezus, now I'm gonna burn in hell for sure," he said as he leaned his forehead against the back of her head. Sam rubbed his hands with hers, wanting to assure him that she was alright with what was happening. It had hurt a lot at first, but now it just felt warm and good.

"Why? You're not doing anything I didn't want you to do." That was mostly true. It had mainly been her squeamishness over her period that had been upsetting. But after her initial embarrassment, she found she was enjoying this very much. She had noticed that when she masturbated during her periods, she had a much stronger orgasm and her cramps had always lessened afterward. So she guessed it made sense that having intercourse now would be very satisfying.

Sam knew that the only thing she needed now was a little pressure on a certain erogenous zone. But how could she get the colonel to accommodate her? Maybe she could just push his hand down there. Sam put her hand over his and pushed, but Jack's hand refused to budge.

"I just feel bad that I'm the one who did it," he admitted, remaining as still as the calm before the storm. He would never have done this, if he'd known the truth. He felt horrible! She deserved someone way better than him, someone younger and less scarred and hardened by life. Her first time should have been something special, not a quick fuck in a cold, damp tent!

"Oh, please don't feel that way! I've looked forward to this for years! And I've never met anyone I wanted to do this with more than you," she admitted.

"Really?"

"Oh yes! You see, I've been saving myself for just the right man. I knew there could only be a first time once, and I wanted to be sure it meant something."

Jack's brain quickly recalled where he'd heard that turn of phrase before. And even though it had been many years, he recalled a certain little girl with blonde curls, big blue eyes and a way with words. He remembered her because she had been so serious for such a small child, and because that had been the year he shipped out to Vietnam right after the holidays. It had been his first time away from the States...the first of many tours overseas.

"Ah, Christ!" he snapped. Then, to her surprise, Jack pulled out and backed away from her. He struggled with the zipper, until he managed to pull it down far enough for him to get out of the sleeping bag.

Sam felt his loss more than she could ever imagine, but she was too shocked to speak. She could hear him rooting around behind her in the tent, and she could also hear the splatter of raindrops on the canvas roof. What on earth was he doing? Why had he stopped?

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

The rain just kept coming down, and Sam just kept wishing he'd talk to her and tell her what was wrong. She could hear what sounded like him dressing, and she figured he had managed to find his clean clothes even in the dark. Finally she could stand the waiting no longer, and so she climbed out of the sleeping bag and fumbled around on the floor for the lantern.

Jack was standing with his back to her, as he pulled a heavy sweater over a long-sleeved shirt. He had on jeans, but no socks or shoes. Sam reached into her duffle bag and pulled out a sweatshirt. She quickly pulled it over her head, and then she shoved her legs down into the sleeping bag and tugged it up around her waist.

"Sir...Jack, we have to talk about what just happened. You can't just ignore me," she said. "Come and sit down," she said, patting the bottom of the sleeping bag as she drew up her knees.

Jack knew she was right; he'd have to tell her. He didn't know if he could find the words to make her understand, and talking about his feelings always made him want to run. But he never ran from trouble, not even when it involved his heart and someone he really cared about...which he knew now was the case with Carter. Sam...Samantha…Samantha Jeanne. Jeezus! How could he NOT have known who she was?! Her personnel file even contained her full name, not that he'd paid any attention to it. And what about those big blue eyes and that trusting smile? Was he just so wrapped up in his craving for a much younger body, that he didn't really see the person? Was this what people meant when they joked about having a mid-life crisis?

This had been a colossal mistake. He had done something so horrible that he thought he'd never be able to get the bad feeling out of his gut. It was if he had just raped that innocent little girl...the one who had come asking Santa for her unselfish wish all those years ago. Jack turned and glanced at her, as he bent down and plucked a pair of socks out of his duffle bag.

Better dress as warmly as possible, Jack, since it looks like you're gonna spend a long, cold night alone, he reminded himself. He figured he'd have a talk with her, and then he'd go curl up inside the truck with a blanket and the bottle of Jameson's he'd brought along to sweeten the guys' coffee. Now he was glad that they weren't here; he'd have the bottle all to himself.

He sat down on the tent floor next to Sam's sleeping bag and pulled on his socks. Then he stared at her with black, serious eyes, seeing her more clearly than ever before.

How the hell could he not have known? She still had that innocent, blue-eyed stare and that angelic face, and that shining blonde hair. She still thought more about others than she did about herself. She hadn't changed from that little six-year-old angel, while he was about as far from being that twenty-one-year-old innocent boy as a man could be. The military, one marriage and the death of his son had made him the person he was today, and he was nowhere near good enough for this priceless young woman.

Jack screwed his courage to the sticking place and began to speak.

"One winter, right before I shipped out for my first tour in Vietnam, I worked in a shopping mall as part of our company's community service contribution. Most of the guys volunteered in nursing homes and veterans' homes, but I decided that this job at the mall sounded like fun."

"Sir, I don't see..."

"Shhh! Just let me tell it, will ya?" Jack touched her gently on the wrist, and then pulled his hand away as though he'd been burnt. He cleared his throat and continued.

"I worked for the three weeks before Christmas as a department store Santa Claus, with the suit, the beard, and hat, and the pillow...the whole ball of wax. Even with all the padding, I was still nothing but a string bean, but the kids didn't seem to notice," he said with a chuckle. He was digressing and he knew why. If there was any way to postpone telling her... But he knew there wasn't. He needed to get this over with, so he could get away from her and try to make himself forget...if only for a little while.

"There was a little girl one day who came to ask Santa for a special present for her friend. She said her friend was sick and couldn't come to see Santa." Jack looked into Sam's eyes to see if there was any flicker of recognition, and seeing none, he continued with his story.

"The year was 1975. The department store was Sears, and it was in Chicago, Sam." Jack watched as a light seemed to come on inside Sam's head. Then her mouth formed a perfect letter O.

"Oh, my God! That was YOU?" she asked, obviously finding this very hard to believe. She knew he was quite a bit older than her, but Santa?

"Yah, that was me. Do you remember what you asked me for?"

"Yes! I asked if you would bring my friend's father home. He was stationed in Korea."

"And?"

"And what?"

"I asked you if there wasn't something that Santa could get just for you. Do you remember what you asked for?"

"Oh, yes, now I remember. I asked for a baby sister! Sally's father did come home a few weeks later, but I never got a baby sister," she said slowly. "I just can't believe that was really you!" she exclaimed, an almost dazed expression on her lovely face.

"Oh it was me alright! So you can imagine how I felt when I heard you say the same thing you said to me that day, about having only one chance to do this and making it count," he paraphrased. "I remember thinking back then that you were about as grown up for a kid as any I'd ever seen, and unselfish too."

"I had to be. I was without both my parents most of the time, and my big brother was always off in his own little world. But Sir, I still don't see what that has to do with us?"

"I never forgot about that little girl, Sam. It was as though an angel had appeared to me and had given me the strength to do what I had to do. For years she was my reason for going on...the reason I fought for our country, even when the things I was ordered to do were against my better judgment and sometimes even seemed morally wrong. As long as I remembered her, I could find the strength to continue. And then I go and do something like this… so horrible, so despicable." Jack hung his head, so she wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.

"Sam, for God's sake, you have to realize that when I realized who you were, I felt like I was raping that little girl! Here she was, as innocent as the last time I saw her, and I was using her to get my rocks off! You've got to believe me, I never would have touched you, if I'd known. You should be saving yourself for the right guy...a nice young man who'll treat you right and not take advantage of you."

"But, Jack, I don't want any other man. I want YOU," she said, reaching out to touch his hand.

Jack wasn't sure what to do. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted any woman, but did he deserve her?

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Sam could tell he was still having doubts. She weaved her fingers through his and breathed a sigh of relief when he gave her fingers a squeeze in return. When he looked up, she was shocked to see tears pooling in his bottom lids. Sam got up on her knees and crawled over between his bent knees. Then she wrapped both arms around his neck and hugged his head to her chest.

"I've always trusted Santa to do his best, Jack, and I'm not going to give up on him now. I want you to finish what you started. Make love to me."

"But Sam, I…."

"Shhhh! No more excuses! You're already my first. Now I want you to be my last and always." She kissed his head, and when he tilted his face up, she kissed away his tears.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly. She was so close, and he wanted her so much. But would he end up hurting her, or was this exactly where he was supposed to be?

"I'm very sure. Jack, I'm a woman now, not that innocent child, and I know my own mind. And besides, I think it was my destiny to find you again and to fall in love with you."

"Yah think?"

"I do," she assured him, nodding.

"Then I guess Santa shouldn't disappoint you again, or you'll stop believing in him."

"Damned straight!" Sam swore with a chuckle.

Giving her a huge grin, he pulled his sweater over his head. Then he began to pull his shirt over his head without unbuttoning it first. Sam tried to help, but gave up as he ripped it off, buttons flying everywhere. She squealed as Jack push her sideways, and he fell with her onto the sleeping bag. Now he was bare-chested, and Sam couldn't resist sucking a brown button nipple into her mouth, while her hands bravely sought the snap at the waistband of his jeans. All the while Jack's hands were caressing her body, up under the sweater, over her cotton bra and down across her narrow waist to her hips and ass. Her skin felt smoother than smooth and so warm that he wished he could crawl inside her and never come out.

Impatiently he shoved the sweater and bra up under her arms and latched his lips around her pert, pink nipple, sucking it until she squealed once again. Her cry drove him wild, and in an instant the offending sweater and bra were removed and thrown to the floor, while Sam reached her hand down inside his jeans.

Jack swallowed hard when he felt her touch him. He knew he wasn't hard any longer, his earlier upset having scared his erection away.

"Sorry, I'm not quite ready," he admitted, embarrassed. To his surprise, Sam scooted down in the sleeping bag and positioned her face right in front of his cock. Then without a word she gripped the base snugly in one hand, while she sucked the tip into her mouth, swirling her tongue around and over it. She had seen women doing this in a movie once, and she hoped she was doing it correctly and that he would like it.

"Oh, honey! Oh, baby, that feels fantastic!" he cried out, putting his hands on her head. He didn't push, but just guided her to where he wanted her to be. When he pushed down, she moved down, and when he hooked a finger under her chin and pulled up, she moved up his shaft. Soon Jack's hips were rocking up and down, and he was fucking her mouth as though it was the sweetest pussy he'd ever had, which by his estimation it was. But suddenly he stopped moving, as he realized that this was not the way he wanted to come their first time together.

"Sam, honey, stop," he begged softly. At first Sam didn't hear him, and so he asked again, his voice choked as he tried to maintain his self-control. "Sam, honey, please stop!" he pleaded breathlessly.

She had never done this before, and at first the task seemed monumental, but by now she was really getting into it and wanted to continue. So why was he asking her to stop? Was she doing something wrong? She let his swollen member slip out of her mouth, saliva dripping from the corners of her pink lips, and looked up at him.

"Not like this. I want to be inside you our first time," he explained. Sam smiled at him as she crawled up his body, and then she turned around so that her back was to him. "Sam, sweetheart, what are you doing?"

"I liked the way it felt when you came at me from behind me. It was as though you were taking me without my knowledge or my permission," she said almost shyly. Jack chucked. So this innocent girl had wicked thoughts? Good for her!

"Okay, then lift that leg and give me some room to work," he laughed, and then he was scooting up behind her and sliding into her heat, enjoying that familiar yet new feeling of Sam's tight pussy as it clinched his dick. And once again he felt like losing control. But somehow he managed to hold on for a while longer, thrusting into her tender flesh with his aching, rock-hard cock until both of them were perspiring and breathing hard from exertion. Knowing he was just seconds away from his climax, he reached down between her thighs and began swirling his finger around and around her clit. She moaned and writhed in his arms, grinding herself on his cock. And the instant his middle finger pressed down hard on her clitoris, Sam fell apart in his arms, and Jack let himself go.

Afterward, they lay spooned up together inside the sleeping bag, enjoying their newly-acknowledged love.

"So you think it was destiny that brought us together again?" he asked. He'd never been much for that sort of thing, but then nothing like this had ever happened to him before.

"Of course! What else could explain it?" She settled down in his arms and went to sleep, while Jack pondered life and how much better it was going to be, now that he had found his destiny.

THE END


End file.
